Chapter 73:
Although the bear meat was lost, she still had to deliver goods to Yumian Tower tomorrow.
Luo Zhi’er entered the house and woke Miaomiao, dressing her in long pants, long sleeves, and long socks, and patching the hole in yesterday’s shoes.
Covered up tightly.
Brought the medicated oil bought last time at the apothecary, applied a layer all over her body, the mark on her face from being beaten by Zhou Shi had already scabbed over, and applied some ointment for treating wounds.
Brought a cloth piece for a scarf, leg bindings, waist bindings, hat for farm work…
Brought extra water, and the vest made from the sleek skin from Li Sanmao’s wild game kill to hold the bamboo basket, then mother and daughter headed to the mountain again.
Li Sanmao had to first check the snares at Big Black Mountain, then come back to help in the field!
Not the same direction, so when leaving, he worriedly instructed a few words.
As she went out, Zhou Shi was still cursing, seeing them carrying baskets out: “You fat lazy hooves who eat free rice, the bear meat got stolen, and you still have the mind to go up the hill to play!”
“You old woman, are you done? Once it’s lost, do you have to curse all day like this?”
Zhou Shi pursed her lips.
“Going up the hill is playing? From today on, you go to the field to play every day with me!”
“His father, that’s not the same!”
“Hmph!”
“Mother, why is grandma cursing first thing in the morning? Just hearing grandmother’s voice makes Miaomiao’s mood bad right away!”
“Miaomiao doesn’t like hearing it, so don’t listen, just treat it like a gust of wind!”
“Oh!”
Luo Zhi’er also completely ignored the irritating voice behind her ears, especially since she had hit Miaomiao, thinking about it made her unhappy!
At this time, the sky was dimly bright.
They climbed up from the back mountain, but did not take yesterday’s path.
They climbed up from another slope on the side, the one they had just picked yesterday, which wouldn’t grow back so quickly.
This path was much harder to walk than yesterday’s, after all, few people walked it, it was remote, overgrown with cogongrass, thorns, and vines, so she chopped with a knife.
Miaomiao wore a sun hat, this girl got a bit tanned from the sun yesterday!
The mushrooms picked going up this remote path were few, probably the shady side, with little sunshine.
Reaching the mountain peak as the sun rose in the east, they drank some water, rested a bit, looked toward Luojia Village direction, which they hadn’t reached yesterday, she still decided to go check it out.
Destination Mahuang Gully, that direction, but that place had lots of leeches, good thing she had made full preparations…
Continued climbing along the path at the mountain peak, picked a few matsutake mushrooms roadside, and two clusters of termite mushrooms under a wild tea tree.
Saw two August Explosion Fruits with burst openings on a vine that had cracked a bit, Luo Zhi’er hooked them down with a sickle, broke them open, and mother and daughter each ate one!
This was why she didn’t leave Miaomiao at home, in the mountains picking some wild things to eat was better than at home.
“Eh, mother, quick look, what bird is that on the tree over there with the long red tail?”
Miaomiao was extremely satisfied eating the August Explosion Fruit in her mouth!
“That one is a golden pheasant with red belly.”
“Oh!”
Before the words were finished, her eyes lit up, seeing a termite mushroom not far away and quickly went to pick it.
Miaomiao used a stick to pry up a piece of white dry shed skin-like thing and tossed it in front of her,
“Mother, what is this?”
Luo Zhi’er was startled,
“Miaomiao, throw it away quick, that’s a snake skin!”
“Oh!”
She was a bit worried, how was this snake skin so big?
She wasn’t afraid of catching snakes, just afraid of accidentally stepping on one that bites, with skin on this path, were there lots of snakes nearby?
Found a path, quickly went down…
Parted branches, knocked and beat with a stick, deliberately making some noise from afar, so small animals and snakes would know and get scared and run away…
Sure enough, a little squirrel was startled by her and jumped up, then ran off, she just lowered her head to pick a few chicken feces yellow mushrooms when Miaomiao tugged her clothing hem again, timidly saying,
“Mother, look, what’s that in the wild bamboo forest over there?”
Luo Zhi’er turned back and looked in the direction she pointed…
The bamboo in the wild bamboo forest was parted by something making a path, bamboo branches swaying, quickly tilting to both sides…
This wild bamboo was very thin and short, growing densely, what could move so fast and part it?
Luo Zhi’er’s instinct was it was a snake, and a very thick big snake, she saw the color of its tail, “Miaomiao, stay behind mother, don’t be afraid!”
Midday sunshine, this was exactly when snakes come out…
“Oh!”
Mother and daughter carefully descended halfway up the mountain.
Then through the forest, not knowing how many winding mountain paths they walked, difficultly passing deep white cliffs.
Under her protection, she and Miaomiao finally arrived near Mahuang Gully in the afternoon.
The bamboo basket also had about ten jin of termite mushrooms picked.
Luo Zhi’er set down the bamboo basket, applied medicated oil all over Miaomiao and herself again, including face, hands, and feet, took out the animal skin fur vest prepared in the morning, cloth pieces…
Clothing, wrapping herself tightly.
Tied her calves and waist tightly with cloth strips, then went forward…
Not far in, could see on the low wasteland grass leaves, toothpick-thin creatures, soft and floppy, slippery bloodsucking leeches.
Some could even change color, changing their own color with the vegetation.
“Mother, can this bug fly?”
Miaomiao opened her eyes wide, scared by this terrible creature.
A heavy expression appeared on Luo Zhi’er’s face, this thing was worse than she thought, there were even flying leeches.
She remembered Mahuang Gully had some rumor called something…
Hadn’t paid attention before.
A white horse walking out of Mahuang Gully could turn into a blood horse, a dog walking out would soon bleed out and die, covered in skeleton.
If a traveler fainted, it would soon be sucked dry of blood alive by leeches and die…
Carefully looked at the situation nearby, this place was actually surrounded by mountains on all sides, with a wasteland below like a treasure basin.
She couldn’t figure it out, why would this place grow these things?
Further ahead, going down a bit, could see them in stones, on branches, in green grass, everywhere.
And they got bigger and bigger, slippery and greasy, so scary…
She could foresee that in the stream below, muddy ground, on grass, all had them.
Miaomiao was terrified: “Mother, what bug is this? Miaomiao is so scared, will it eat people?”
“It’s called a leech, also water leech, it sucks blood, Miaomiao must take care not to let it near your body.”
Luo Zhi’er held Miaomiao in her arms, continued walking forward a bit, this was her land plot, she had to come check the situation, plan for the future.
Although this place was in the direction of Luojia Village, it was still very far from Luojia Village, because several mountain ranges separated in between.
Along the way, saw towering cliff faces, to cross mountains and ridges, through cliff faces, this Mahuang Gully nestled in the middle, these cliff faces served as barriers.
Plus the rumors of Mahuang Gully, no one from their village often came…
Except people like Old Man Luo in the past who dug mountain goods and rushed the mountains, generally no one came.
Luo Zhi’er surveyed the situation here, this whole wasteland including the mountain range was thirty-three mu, from high places could see the whole view at a glance.
Began thinking, this place besides the leeches, also inconvenient transportation, this kind of crops simply couldn’t be transported out, relying on carrying would be exhausting, needed to build a road.
No wonder in the rural area short on farmland, such a large piece of wasteland Mahuang Gully left empty, it really was too much effort.
